I ordered my second OwlCrate recently because the theme, Comic Explosion, was just my sort of thing. OwlCrate is a YA subscription service based in America and it’s the shipping costs of $20 that makes it a box that I pick and choose when to get it. I have to say I was very surprised at how quickly it arrived on my doorstep. Especially as I received an email at lunchtime today saying it was on its way and I could track it, I click on the tracking number and see it had arrived at 11am! Turns out the email might have been a bit delayed and my box was actually posted last Monday – still, it was an excellent surprise to come home to.

If your May OwlCrate box has yet to arrive – beware spoilers below!

So, as I said the theme was Comics Explosion. The first thing I saw was the Funko POP! figure, there were seven different characters sent out and in my box was Harley Quinn. She’s my first DC Funko (my bookshelves feature Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek and Harry Potter ones so far) and it’s great because I loved Harley in the Batman cartoons from my childhood. Next was an exclusive Wonder Woman-inspired candle from Dio Candle Company. It smells delicious and very tropical as it’s apparently inspired by Wonder Woman’s home. I have become slightly obsessed with candles lately so I love the fact I’ve got another one to add to my collection. There were some coffee candies from Käfë! Zing! which I’m looking forward to trying, a multicoloured pen from Ooly, and comic zipper pull and a sampler of a new comic called AFAR by Leila Del Duca and Kit Seaton from Image Comics. I’ve had a quick flick through it and the art looks wonderful and it’s blurbed as “The Nameless City meets Star Wars” so I’ll definitely be reading it soon.

Now onto the book, which not only came with a signed bookplate, a letter from the author and an exclusive art print was… Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia! I’ve heard nothing about this book but I love the cover and as I was flicking through it I could see it’s got some comic pages in there. Which makes sense as it’s about a girl who’s shy in the real world but has a super famous online webcomic series. I don’t know why but I’m always a bit weary of books about fandom and fangirls, I suppose it’s because part of me thinks “what’s talked in fandom should stay in fandom” and also because so often fangirls are used as the butt of a joke. Still, I do like the sound of this book and I’m ready to be proved wrong. I’ve not read anything by Francesca Zappia but one of her other novels, Made You Up, has been on my Amazon wishlist for ages so I’m looking forward to finally seeing what her writing is like.

This is the first of three subscriptions boxes I’m getting this month – I also have subscribed to FairyLoot and Illumicrate – so I hope you don’t get bored of unboxings! I do like OwlCrate (I especially like how they’re now wrapping the book in a cellophane bag to protect it) but it’s the extra shipping costs that means I don’t get it every month. Let me know what you think of May’s OwlCrate box if you get it. Next month’s theme is “Make It Out Alive” which sounds just a little scary – don’t think I’ll be getting that box!